So… I got my diver’s license as soon as I turned 18. It was a very stressful period of my life, and I hated everything about driving. They promised me freedom, but I got shackled.

Passing the exam as a nightmare (took me 3 attempts) and even during the lessons the professor saw how horribly tense I was. I got sick just by thinking about the car.

Once I passed, my family decided that I’d get over my fears by forcing me to drive, every single day, for weeks, with the whole family in the car, yelling, mocking me…

I had several panic attacks that were dismissed as lack of maturity, and I stopped driving. It’s been years.

But now I’m going to have to get better at this due to circumstances, and I’m scared.

I feel that I can’t focus on all the elements of the road, I have a very hard time calculating distances because I’m very short (edit: 1’50m, if that is relevant) and barely see above the wheel, I have to move the seat so close to the wheel that I fear that if one day the airbag jumps, I’ll suffocate. My blind spots seem infinite.

My car is automatic, so no stick to worry about.

If you have read all I wrote, I’ll greatly appreciate any advice or encouragement. Thank you

  • howler@lemmy.zipOPEnglish
    4·
    1 month ago

    I can’t find a CarFit program but I guess there have to be similar ones where I live (Spain). I added extra mirrors too, and they were helpful indeed! The cushion part is heavily discouraged, and I haven’t been able to find legally approved cushions for drivers :(

    • ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      1 month ago

      Before you give up on raising the seat height, if you haven’t already, check out the user manual or look up your model vehicle online and just make sure that you’ve used everything that’s already installed to adjust/raise the seat as far as it can go.

      I wouldn’t even say this except I was regularly driving someone else’s car for a period of time, and I was genuinely uncomfortable with the height until I happened to mention it to them. Turns out their driver seat height was fully adjustable the whole time, motorized even. I’d just been looking in the wrong place.

      You’re probably much smarter than me and have already verified this, but if you haven’t it’s worth a look, and both raising it and lowering it as far as it will go so you know its limits. Good luck to you!

      EDITED TO ADD: I don’t know how handy you are with tools, but if you’re not comfortable with adding a cushion on top that might slide around, you can buy car seat risers and car seat lift kits for your model vehicle. They install under the seat, between the seat and the floor, and are quite sturdy and safe. I’ve added US links so you can see what I’m talking about, but you’d get yours in the EU, online or at a parts store. There will be instructions and probably even videos to help you install it. If you’re not handy with tools you could have a friend or mechanic install it for you as car seats are pretty easy to unbolt and take out, and of course if you do it yourself then you’ve actually felt the wrench in your hand and you know the bolts are good and tight, one less thing to worry about. Just remembered those. Good luck!

    • snazzlles@lemmy.world
      3·
      1 month ago

      Very well might not be possible to get a different car, but some car models are known to be more suitable for shorter drivers (eg. the Fiat 500)